Corkee

Does anyone have a recommendation for a family vacation in the Northeast? We have a 3 year old girl and an 18 month old boy. Looking for something for the week of July 21st that is active, out-doorsy and not too pricey...

naturetraveller

We love Mohonk Mountain House, in New Paltz, NY, though it is a little expensive. The good thing is that it includes meals, kids' club, and other activities, so you don't get nickel-and-dimed and you don't have to worry about where or what to eat. Beautiful setting in the mountains, with a lake, indoor pool, spa, lots of hiking trails, gardens, etc. It is especially nice for families because you can have time together as well as time apart, with the grownups doing what they want to do while the kids are taken care of. The food is delicious.

If that is too expensive, you might want to look at going to the Adirondacks and renting a cabin on a lake. I know there are cabin rentals in Sabael, NY on Indian Lake, which is an area I am familiar with. I can't remember the names of specific places, but you could look on the internet. There are lots and lots of other towns and lakes throughout the Adirondacks where you could find cabins to rent.

If you don't find these suggestions helpful, please give more details about your needs/wants (mountains or ocean? how much do you want to spend on accomodations? do you want to cook or have meals taken care of?) and I can offer more suggestions, as I have taken many vacations in the Northeast over many years, with children!

Corkee

thank you naturetraveller! we live about an hour from Mohonk and hike near there all the time. It is much too expensive for us to stay there though. I am looking for a less expensive and more rustic version of that though We are doing the cabin on the lake thing at the end of August up in Maine on Kezar Lake. So I think a beach setting would be awesome for this. We are fine with cooking most meals and then eating out a few times. I was thinking of a Cape Cod or near there or other coastal locations. Thank you for your advice!

clarkgriswold

We had a cabin on Kezar a few summers ago and had to leave after two days because the mosquitoes were unbearable. I hope you have better luck. But bring plenty of Listerine, skin so soft and Deet.

Lighthouse Inn on Cape Cod comes to mind but might also be too expensive as it is all-inclusive.

tomfuller

When we lived in PA, I always took the kids to Knobel's Amusement park.http://www.knoebels.com/
They also have swimming and lodging nearby.

grieftrip

I actually rented a lovely lake house in Massachusetts this winter. It was lovely with a floating dock, game room, and fully stocked kitchen. The area was really lovely, only a 1.5 hour drive to Boston and near a lot of New England gems. I would highly recommend it!

http://www.vrbo.com/237847

www.grieftrip.com

artstuff

I'd also like to recommend Knoebels Amusement Resort, set in the woods near Elysburg, PA, It's one of the most family friendly places to visit.

First of all, FREE admission to the park, including FREE parking. You only pay for the rides you want to go on. You can pay one price and get a hand-stamp and go on as many rides as you like, or you can purchase tickets and pay for what you want to ride.

They have a whole section which is nothing but infant through kindergarten rides, which would fit your family. Many of the rides the whole family can ride on, like the train that runs through the woods, or the antique carousel, or the motor boats. And if it's a real hot day, you can swim in their mountain-spring fed pool. Knoebel's also has FREE entertainment at their bandshell.

When it comes to eating, they have many stands throughout the park where you can buy your typical carnival food, not too overpriced. If you prefer sit-down family dining, there's the Alamo restaurant. Or, you can pack your own lunch/dinner and use their FREE picnic tables and charcoal grills in the picnic grove, perhaps the most economic.

If you like to camp, they have a campground right in the park. They do have cabins for rent, but I don't believe they are furnished. There is a hotel a few miles from the park which is reasonably priced.

Robyn

escargot

For the Cape you could check the Red Jacket Resort which is always kid friendly; in Dennis the Pelham House Resort has kitchenettes which is always nice with little ones and I believe a few suites which might work better for you if you want to stay awake after they fall asleep. Ocean Edge Resort is fabulous, not sure if too pricey but they often have specials and they have one bedroom options which works nice for a family. If you want your own home, sometimes if you dare wait, you will find something to rent in many of the seaside town on the south shore from Marshfield/Scituate/Plymouth straight through the Cape to the Islands on a site like VRBO, and negotiate if they don't have a week rented by June.

naturetraveller

Since you have young children, you might want to consider going somewhere on the Connecticut shoreline/Long Island Sound, instead of the ocean. Rates might be cheaper than the ocean. While I have never stayed there, Water's Edge has gotten good reviews from friends of mine with young children. If that is still too expensive, you could look at house rentals on beaches in CT Shoreline towns such as Guilford, Madison, Westbrook, Old Saybrook, and Lyme. They are all nice, small New England towns. Waves on Long Island Sound are smaller than the ocean, but you still have sandy beaches for the kids to play on. Block Island, off of Rhode Island, is another nice option for an ocean vacation. You take a ferry from New London, CT. I have stayed at Spring Lake Hotel, which is a nice old hotel that I recommend. If that is too expensive, there are other hotels that are less expensive on Block Island (I cannot recommend them, as I have not stayed at any), or you could rent a house (I have known many people do this). On Block Island, you can walk or bike to various public beaches. That would be closer to where you live than going to Cape Cod. Also, traffic going out to Cape Cod along 95 from New York is brutal on summer weekends.

doug_stallings

I think Block Island would be a nice spot. It's closer than Cape Cod and less expensive than Martha's Vineyard or Nantucket (generally speaking). Biking is really the best way to get around there, so it may not be a good choice if you don't want to bike.

Juldie

Smuggler's Notch Resort in Vermont